1. Tackling Youth Homelessness YHNE workshop
27th July 2018
Anna Whalen and Steve McKinlay
Homelessness Advice and Support Team (HAST)

2. Households accepted as owed a main duty with applicant aged 16/17 years or care leaver aged years, financial years 2009/ /18, England

3. Youth Acceptances as proportion of total Acceptances, Financial years 2009/10 - 2017/18, England

4. 16/17 year olds accommodated in B&B temporary accommodation, financial years 2007/ /18, England
Note : Trend slightly upward due to misreporting by 1 LA in Q1 of This will be readjusted. Q B&B was 22 16/17s after readjustment.

5. Young people and rough sleeping
Date
Source
U18s
18 – 25s
Overall total
U25s
Overall total rough sleeping
Autumn 2016
Government annual Rough Sleeping Count
Not counted
separately
288
288(7%)
4,134
Autumn
2017 3
370
373( 8%)
4,751
2016/17
CHAIN 11
604
615( 8%)
7, 474
2015/16 4
757
761(9%)
8,108

6. The Government focus on youth homelessness
3 youth homelessness advisers and other expertise in the team - a range of work including targeted challenge as well as support and advice to local authorities on developing local ‘pathways’ for young people:
Kim Davis’s work is focussed on 16/17s and care leavers – DfE funded
1 new post focussed on care leavers and rough sleeping. – DfE funded
Fair Chance Fund – Social Impact Bond pilot programme focussing on young people most at risk of long term poor life outcomes, read the interim evaluations here:

7. The Government focus on youth homelessness
National Youth Reference Group – young people with lived experience of homelessness as the experts
Youth Parliament – engaging with young people across England nationally
Focus on ‘Positive Pathway’ approach - Funding to St Basils to develop and support the roll out pathways approach
Rough Sleeping Initiative: 83 local authorities funded this year to reduce rough sleeping , including some work on young people

8. National frameworks /tools on youth homelessness
3 national documents specifically focus on prevention, accommodation and support for young people.
The Government has supported the development and promotion of all of these. Including information, top tips and examples:
The St Basils ‘Developing Positive Pathways to Adulthood’
The Barnardos and St Basils ‘Care Leavers Accommodation and Support Framework’
St Basils ‘Youth Justice Accommodation Pathway’ / .

10. The framework
RACHEL – OVERVIEW OF THE FRAMEWORK

11. St Basils Youth Justice Accommodation Pathway
STRAND 1: YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY: PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS AND REDUCING RISK
EARLY HELP: Agencies work together to prevent young people involved in offending behaviour from becoming homeless, and to reduce crisis.
PREVENTION: Housing Authorities are engaged in multi-agency information sharing and planning to reduce re-offending, and to prevent young people at risk of offending/re-offending from being homeless. Young people know how to access support when they need it
SAFEGUARDING: Young people and families who are at risk of harm are able to access housing services which minimise risk, and support them to make positive changes to their lives
Outline of the pathway and what it covers- starting with early help and prevention work

12. St Basils Youth Justice Accommodation Pathway
STRAND 2: YOUNG PEOPLE IN CUSTODY: PLANNING FOR SUCCESSFUL RESETTLEMENT
START OF SENTENCE
Young People and their families are involved in resettlement planning from the outset. Action is taken to protect or surrender a tenancy or license and to minimise debt. Future barriers to accommodation are identified and included within the sentence plan.
PLANNING FOR RELEASE
Preparations made for young people to live with family where possible and identify any support required. Young People’s needs, risks and wishes are assessed
Local authority duties are established and referrals made and acted upon
Young people who are unable to return home are actively involved in planning for their accommodation and support on release.
Activities for when YP are in custody, from start to end
FINALISE RELEASE PLANS
Accommodation is identified, and a contingency plan prepared. Release plans finalised and support put in place appropriate to the age and needs.

13. St Basils Youth Justice Accommodation Pathway
STRAND 3: JOINTLY COMMISSIONONED ACCOMMODATION AND SUPPORT
SUPPORTED HOUSING
The pathway includes accommodation which can be secured in advance of release, and a range of accommodation and support to meet identified needs
SPECIALIST SERVICES
Young people with complex needs are accommodated within a commissioned pathway
PREPARATION FOR INDEPENDENCE
Young people are well prepared to manage their own tenancy and budget before they move on

14. St Basils Youth Justice Accommodation Pathway
STRAND 4: A RANGE OF HOUSING OPTIONS WITH RESETTLEMENT SUPPORT
SHARED AND SELF-CONTAINED OPTIONS
Landlords are engaged to provide shared and self-contained housing options affordable to young people
MIXTURE OF TENURE TYPES
Young people are able to access social or private rented housing to support their successful rehabilitation
SUPPORT TO SET UP AND SUSTAIN A TENANCY
Young people receive move on support to set up a tenancy and know how to access support again if needed to prevent homelessness

15. Useful documents on the Positive Pathway model
Homeless Link’s ‘Young and Homeless’ 2018 report , based on information from authorities and the third sector, as well as young people’s views from the /National Youth Reference Group’. Positive Pathway model forms the basis for the report’s structure
University of Sheffield Hallam’s Independent rapid evaluation of the St Basils Positive Pathway model

16. Homelessness Reduction Act – Key changes to the homelessness legislation
Enhanced duty to provide advisory services
Extends the existing duty on local authorities to provide free homelessness advice and information for all
Requires advice services to be designed with certain vulnerable groups in mind: care leavers, former armed forces, people leaving custody, victims of domestic abuse or people with mental health issues
New meaning of “threatened with homelessness” - S195
Extends the period during which someone is threatened with homelessness from 28 days to 56 days
Duty to treat an applicant as threatened with homelessness if they have been served with a valid section 21 notice to end their Assured Shorthold Tenancy which has expired or will expire within 56 days

17. Homelessness Reduction Act – key changes to the homelessness legislation
Duty to assess all eligible applicants & agree a personalised plan - S189A
Requirement for LA’s to carry out an assessment in all cases where an eligible applicant is homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless within 56 days. 3 parts to this:
What are the circumstances that have caused their homelessness/risk of homelessness?
What are their housing needs?
What, if any, are their other support needs to be addressed to enable them to keep and/or obtain and sustain accommodation?
A Personalised Housing Plan will be drawn up which sets out the ‘reasonable steps’ the authority and the applicant will both take ( and other agencies/people as appropriate)
‘Reasonable steps’ should be tailored to the individual and the Plan should be realistic

18. Homelessness Reduction Act – key changes to the homelessness legislation
From October 2018 specified public bodies will have a new ‘Duty to Refer’ with consent, their service users who are homeless or threatened with homelessness to a local authority of their choice
Care leavers aged will have more choice on local connection. They will have a connection with the authority which has looked after them and with another area if they have lived there for 2 years, including some time before their 16th birthday.
Requirements on the suitability of private rented sector accommodation are extended to all placements of applicants who have priority needed, except where they find the property themselves

19. Duty to Refer
Public Bodies with Duty to Refer from October 1st 2018 are:
(a) prisons;
(b) youth offender institutions;
(c) secure training centres;
(d) secure colleges;
(e) youth offending teams;
(f) probation services (including community rehabilitation companies);
(g) Jobcentre Plus;
(h) social service authorities;
(i) emergency departments;
(j) urgent treatment centres; and,
(k) hospitals in their function of providing inpatient care.
(l) Secretary of State for defence in relation to members of the armed forces
Local authorities and partners are encouraged to build referral protocols and procedures with ALL service providers that can help identify and support people threatened with homelessness

20. Homelessness Reduction Act – Key changes to the current legislation
LA may end the prevention or relief duty
Applicant has suitable accommodation for at least 6 month
After 56 days (except where a valid s21)
Applicant has refused a suitable offer
Applicant deliberately and unreasonably refused to cooperate
At the prevention stage the applicant becomes homeless
Applicant ceases to be eligible
Application withdrawn
Applicant is intentionally homeless from accommodation provided
AND
The Relief duty MUST end after 56 days for an applicant who has priority need and is not intentionally homeless

21. The flow of the new legislation
‘Reasonable steps’ to prevent homelessness occurring – lasts up to 56 days
Focus to help to retain current accommodation or find suitable alternative, for 6 months
Priority need, intentionality and local connection are NOT tests
Prevention Duty S195
‘Reasonable steps’ to relieve homelessness - lasts for up to 56 days
Help to find suitable accommodation for 6 months
Priority need and intentionality are NOT tests
Local connection may be applied
If the applicant is or may be priority need , a duty to provide temporary accommodation
Relief Duty S189B
Applies when relief of homelessness is not successful
Priority need and intentionality tests applied at this point
Duty is to provide temporary accommodation until the duty is ended
‘Main’ Duty S193 (2)

22. MHCLG support for implementation includes
The statutory Code of Guidance and secondary legislation have been published following a period of consultation - see here :
Updated joint statutory guidance on 16/17 year olds has been published :
The Homelessness Advice and Support Team (HAST) is offering advice and support to LAs on homelessness
Funded Trailblazers are trying out new approaches to prevention that others can learn from, including some ‘upstream’ interventions

23. MHCLG support for implementation includes
LB Southwark and Newcastle City Council have been funded as an ‘early adopters’ . Southwark have implemented the Act early, Newcastle has focussed on joint working and ways to engage and harness partnership approaches. Both host visits and share their learning and tools on request
The National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS) has been funded to deliver training to frontline staff
New burdens funding has been increased to £72.7 million following engagement with local authorities around the delivery of the Act

24. The new legislation and the Positive Pathway approach
Partnership is critical to reducing youth homelessness and the new homelessness legislation- local housing authorities cannot deliver this alone, for example
Universal information and advice available to young people
Early identification of young people at risk of homelessness
‘Duty to Refer’ placed on named public bodies
Involvement (with consent) of other professionals in assessment of needs and drawing up ‘Personal Housing Plans’
Co-designing pathways and options for different groups
Working on increasing the supply and range of suitable accommodation for young people
Focus on those at risk of rough sleeping and repeat homelessness
Strategic planning together -based on better data and learning from what works - youth focus within homelessness strategies, children’s services and youth justice plans

25. 16 & 17 year olds at risk of homelessness
General points in the revised guidance
No change to the key principle – children’s law takes precedence
Safeguarding - greater focus as set out in Working Together document
More possibly to focus on joint prevention work ?
Trigger points and timescales for a child in need assessment changed
Joint assessments where possible
Child in Need Plans where homeless young people are not looked after
Young people leaving custody ( to be discussed later!)
Focus on suitable accommodation - and B&B is always unsuitable
Joint protocols - will need updating to reflect changes
HRA changes:
Duty to Refer does not diminish Children’s Services duties. It is not an alternative to a child in need assessment or an early help assessment
Personal Housing Plans – reasonable steps
Ending of the duty - trying to avoid negative ending of duty

26. For your discussion on 16/17 year olds
What is working well?
What are some of challenges and gaps you want to address?
What opportunities can you see in the new legislation and any other new programmes/initiatives locally or nationally?
What could the HAST advisers assist you with ?

27. 16/17 year olds leaving custody – taken from the new joint statutory guidance
If there is a risk that no accommodation will be available on release, then this will form part of the resettlement planning process and arrangements made for accommodation and support in good time
Where a 16 or 17 year old is not already looked after or a ‘relevant’ child but has no accommodation on release they must have a child in need assessment
If the young person does not want to become looked after on release from custody, then a referral should be made to a housing authority
Like other 16 or 17 year olds , if they are assessed as being a child in need, they will require a child in need plan

28. 18 – 25 year olds involved in the criminal justice system
Information and advice to be developed locally for this group
Priority Need and Intentional Homelessness are not tests until the ‘main duty’ stage - what more could be done to offer prevention and releif options to this group?
Opportunities to develop/revise local protocols with criminal justice agencies as part of the ‘duty to refer’
Risks of rough sleeping for some young people – what can the HRA and better joint working on prevention and options achieve ?

29. For your discussion on young people involved in the criminal justice system
What is working well?
What are some of challenges and gaps you want to address?
What opportunities can you see in the new legislation and any other new programmes/initiatives locally or nationally?
What could the HAST advisers assist you with ?

30. Care leavers Children and Social Work Act 2017
Duties to care leavers now up to 25 years old
The Local Offer - needs to set out the Housing Authority’s commitment and offer as a corporate parent to care leavers
Homelessness Reduction Act
Information and Advice duty – targeted information
Local connection changes - homelessness ( NB this is not about the allocation of social housing)
Opportunity to dovetail PHPs with Pathway Plans ?
Care leavers at risk of rough sleeping
Government focus on rough sleeping: care leavers are a recognised group at higher risk than their counterparts
Is there a need in your area to revise or create a new care leavers and accommodation protocol?

31. For your discussion on care leavers
What is working well?
What are some of challenges and gaps you want to address?
What opportunities can you see in the new legislation and any other new programmes/initiatives locally or nationally?
What could the HAST advisers assist you with ?

32. Contact email for enquiries Hast@communities.gsi.gov.uk
ANY QUESTIONS?
Contact for enquiries